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NBA Trade Rumors: Latest Buzz on DeMarcus Cousins, Michael Carter-Williams, More
- Updated: October 11, 2016
Whether it’s the preseason, summer, regular season or playoffs, trade rumors may be the one constant in the NBA.
And although we’re four months away from the NBA’s trade deadline in February, several big names are already surfacing in the rumor mill.
A pair of Sacramento Kings, DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay, came up in an interview with Kings owner Vivek Ranadive. Milwaukee Bucks head coach Jason Kidd commented on the status of rumor-regular Michael Carter-Williams. And everyone’s favorite hypothetical trade partner, the Boston Celtics, may have already seen a trade ship sail by.
No Moves from the Sacramento Kings?
In an interview with USA Today’s Sam Amick, Ranadive explored a number of different topics, including the possibility of moving Cousins in a trade.
When asked if he’d consider a move this season, Ranadive said:
I leave it up to (general manager) Vlade (Divac). What I see is a young guy who wants to win, and has actually matured. And I’m just repeating what I hear Vlade saying, so it’s better to ask him this question, but I think what Vlade really wants to see is – and the way he says it with his Serb accent – is hugs (laughs). Hugs. He wants to see hugs, and he wants to see growth as a teammate. I know that Vlade and coach (first-year coach Dave Joerger, formerly of the Memphis Grizzlies) will make the right decisions, and I don’t know. Right now what I see is I’m excited for what we have.
Cousins has led the Kings in points in each of the last four seasons and in rebounds in each of the last six. But apparently he needs to up his hugs average.
Of course, Divac’s talk of hugs is probably less about a physical manifestation of affection than a general harmony within the team. It’s there that Cousins does have something to prove.
If he can continue to dominate the stat sheet while adding a better relationship with his coach and teammates, it will be difficult to trade him.
He is, after all, one of just seven players in NBA history to average at least 20.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks per game through his …
